Where Roses Lay: Criminal Desires -Ember Davis

JERICHO Every life I've taken is a stain on my soul, one I accepted a long time ago. There have only been a few good things I've done in my life, but it isn't enough. It'll never be enough. The people whose lives I hold in my hands never see me coming, they never know I'm there until it's far too late with a rose left in my wake. For their lives. For my penance. For proof to the ones who pay for my services. I leave them behind and I mark them on my body. When I see her, for the first time since I found myself in a life I can't undo, I wish my soul wasn't tainted. I know I'll corrupt her, but I can't stay away. She's mine and it's only a matter of time until I prove it to her. I'll watch her and keep her safe because my life will drown her. When keeping her safe means coming out into the light, will she be able to accept me as the monster I am? Will my rose show her thorns, her strength? How beautiful will she look with a soul as dark as mine? BRIAR Can you love your life and be bored by it at the same time? I love my flower shop, but it feels like it's the only thing I have to show for my days. People come in and then leave to deliver joyful bouquets. It isn't enough, but it's not until the first time I feel him watching me that I know awareness which stretches beyond my skin. How long can I stay stagnant and waiting before I give up on the hope I feel when I know he's watching? I've never even seen him, but I know he's there. Danger always feels like a possibility, but I know it won't touch me with him around. The truth of it whispers across my soul. Until everything changes. When he saves me I wonder if the wishes I've made can become reality. What will I have to give up to keep him? I'll do anything because he's mine and I'm his, even if that means stepping into his world with both feet and my head held high. He cradles me where roses lay, but will it last? **18+. This story has dark themes and a morally gray hero. You'll still find an insta-love story that is spicy and isn't necessarily simple, but with darker themes, situations, rough spicy times and depictions of violence (not between the MMC and MFC). No cheating with a guaranteed HEA. This book has ties to my Denver Family book but does not contain any characters from those storylines. This book is related to my Agosti Crime Family books but can be read as a standalone. Meet the Agosti family in Flames and Flowers. Meet Briar in Room Three: They Like to Bite (Club Sin Series).** Villains do bad things, like lie, and cheat, and steal. But every bad guy has a backstory and every Bonnie needs her Clyde. This May, celebrate the villain. Eleven sinful couples will burn down the city. When the dust settles, where will you be? Criminal Desires, a steamy romance collaboration that'll melt your eReader. Happily ever after, guaranteed!